


Not if it's You

by thievingdoom



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gals being pals, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, slowish burn, wink - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-09-01 16:58:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20261455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thievingdoom/pseuds/thievingdoom
Summary: Based on the prompt: Person A slowly becoming more comfortable with physical affection - but only if it’s coming from Person B.Adora has learned to adjust to many new things since leaving the Horde. The amount of friendly physical contact, however, has taken her by surprise. Used to contact only when sparring and training with others, Adora is unsure if she'll be able to get used to it. However, the gentle touch of a certain princess starts to change her mind...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There are NOT nearly enough Glimmadora fics so I will WRITE THEM UNTIL MY HEART IS FULL.

“What if we draw them in towards the village, then ambush them? We can flank their army on both sides,” Glimmer leaned over the table, dragging her fingertip across the map, signalling where Bright Moon’s forces would come in relative to the Horde army. “And surprise them.”

Bow looked over the chart, one hand cupping his chin, the other drumming a nervous beat on the table with his fingers. “Wouldn’t that endanger Thaymor? The villagers have just finished rebuilding from the first attack. Not to mention the mental toll, do we really want to risk putting them through that again?” 

“The sightings of the Horde’s militia in Whispering Woods have been increasing in numbers everyday, and they’re too close to Thaymor for it to be a coincidence.” Glimmer insisted, “We need the element of surprise!” 

“Can’t we just face them head on? We’re not alone anymore, not with the Princess Alliance back together.” Bow countered, “Plus, we have She-Ra!” 

The princesses turned their heads towards Adora, who sat between Glimmer and Netossa. 

Glimmer had called an emergency meeting after spotting yet another party of Horde soldiers in the Whispering Woods. It’s not unusual to encounter their troops while scouting the forest, but lately their appearances have increased, along with their numbers per sighting. 

Queen Angella crossed her fingers over her lap, and looked at Adora cooly. “What do you think, Adora?” 

Adora shrunk under the alliance’s attention. “Well, I, um, I think…” 

She glanced between Bow and Glimmer, both looking at her earnestly. She sighed.

“I’m honestly not sure how much of a triumph card I’d be, with the Horde’s increasing advancements in technology and weapons…” 

Everyone looked briefly at an empty seat near the end of the table, the seat where a certain violet-haired princess once sat. 

“I don’t know if I can keep up with it.” Adora continued, “I’m still training with Light Hope, but at the rate of which the Horde is improving their weaponry, we might need to consider Glimmer’s plan.” 

Angella nodded. “Thank-you for your honesty, Adora.” 

Adora flinched when a sudden hand was placed on her shoulder. 

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up, okay?” Netossa whispered to her. “We all have our limits.” 

Adora gave a small smile and nodded, but when Netossa gave her shoulder a squeeze, she felt her body go stiff. It wasn’t until her fellow princess removed her hand that Adora was able to relax again. 

________________________

Their footsteps were muffled between the leaves quivering in the wind and the wildlife calling to each other in harmonious music. No one would hear them coming, for sure, but seeing them?

Now that was another story. 

“I just think you should wear something more...subtle.” Bow explained to Glimmer, who was walking right beside him. 

“Excuse me?”

“You know, something that doesn’t shout, ‘I’m a princess!’ and maybe blends in more with our surroundings. Something more like…”

Bow turned to look back at Adora, who was trailing behind them. Her bright red jacket stuck out like a sore thumb among the blues and greens of the forest. 

“Okay, nevermind.”

Glimmer scoffed. “I don’t know when I’ve ever come across to you as ‘subtle,’ Bow.”

“I’m just saying that while we’re out scouting, it might be a good idea if we disguise ourselves more. Y’know, like camouflage.” 

“And dress up in boring greys like the Horde? No way! Besides…” Glimmer stopped and gestured to herself. “I’m told this outfit brings out my eyes.” 

Bow groaned. “You’re not getting what I’m trying to… Oh hey, purple does compliment your eyes nicely.” 

“Hey guys,” Adora called out, “Did you hear that?”

The trio stopped in their tracks, glancing between each other as they listen intently to the forest. 

“I don’t hear anything.” Bow said.

“Yeah,” murmured Adora, “That’s the problem.” 

The breeze had gone still. The insects’ chirping and birds’ singing were smothered by silence. For the forest to grow this still, there must be a presence that was much more significant than theirs. 

“The Horde,” Glimmer whispered, “It must be.” 

“I told you, you’re too sparkly!” 

“Bow, hush!” 

Adora swiveled her head, scanning the woods around them. “I think someone’s--” 

_SNAP! CRACK!_

The sound of branches snapping like twigs was deafening against the tranquility of Whispering Woods. And it was heading right towards them. 

A white head with a long, gleaming horn burst out from the underbrush. “**HEY GUYS!**” 

“SHIT!” Bow practically leaped into Adora’s arms, clinging to her like a koala. Adora, with her arms full of Bow, resorted to raising her leg in a wobbly kung fu fashion as if that could protect them. Glimmer had already teleported behind the two, peaking over Adora’s shoulder as she gripped her staff. When they realized who they were looking at, their expressions fell in an unamused manner. 

“Swift Wind!” Glimmer exclaimed, “Did you really have to sneak up on us like that?!” 

“Yeah, we thought you were a Horde soldier!” added Bow, with his arms still wrapped around Adora’s neck. 

Swift Wind pulled himself out of the undergrowth. “Well I heard that you guys were out scouting the woods without me! What if the Horde actually did appear! What would you do without your trusty steed, Adora?” 

With those words, he dramatically flipped his bright orange mane. 

Glimmer looked unimpressed. Adora was focused on Bow, becoming apprehensive with the boy’s bear hug.

“Uh, Bow?” 

“Yeah?”

“Do you mind, uh, letting go?”

“Oh, right.” Bow said, “Of course.” 

Adora gently placed her friend on the ground, and he released his hold on her. 

“Don’t worry, Bow!” announced Swift Wind, “I’ll carry you as far as you want!”

Bow politely declined. 

________________________

Though the Horde’s invasion of Bright Moon seemed to overwhelm Adora and her friends’ endeavor to stop them, the sudden appearance of the Princess Rebellion was able to turn the tide of the battle and prevent the destruction of the Moonstone. After driving off the remaining Horde soldiers, the Kingdom of Bright Moon was left celebrating, with a feast and a party that lasted into the late night. The Moonstone shone over the palace, a bright reminder of their victory. All of the princesses stayed at Bright Moon to celebrate, all except for one. 

Adora was alone in her room, absent of the celebration. Her encounter with Catra left her confused and hurt, and not just physically. Her stomach was twisted in painful knots, making her appetite non existent. Her mind was clouded with troubling thoughts and feelings, leaving her ability to socialize dilapidated at best. And her back, sticky with blood dyed her shirt a crimson color.

She sat on her bed, staring at the medical supplies she had gathered. The memory of the battle with Catra haunted her, and left her with little to no motivation to tend to her injuries. 

The look Catra gave her on the battlefield...Adora couldn’t get the image out of her mind. The reflection of her mismatched eyes harmed her more than her sharp claws that raked across her back. 

_Hatred._ That’s what she saw. Her ex-best friend, her ex… something, glaring at her with that fire in her eyes. It tore into Adora’s heart. She could wrap up the cuts in her skin, but the laceration inside her chest was unmendable. 

Adora’s vision became fuzzy, and she wiped at her eyes. Her clothes are already stained with blood, they don’t need to be stained with tears, too. 

_Focus._ She thought to herself. Eventually her absence would be noticed. She pulled her shirt over her head, wincing when the fabric rubbed painfully against her cuts. Adora picked up the disinfectant, before realizing she couldn’t reach behind her to apply it. 

“Ah, crap.” She sighed. There was no way she’d attend the party while still bleeding. 

A knocking at her door snapped her out of her thoughts. 

“Wh-who is it?” Adora asked.

“It’s me.” Glimmer’s muffled voice sounded behind the door. “Glimmer. Can I come in?”

“Uh, don’t, I’m uh,” Adora looked at her bloody shirt on the floor. “I’m busy.”

“We haven’t seen you all night. We’re all worried about you. _I’m_ worried about you.” Glimmer pleaded. “Please let me in, I want to help.” 

Adora bit her lip, unsure what to do. In the Horde, you’re taught to hide your pain. Exposing it was a sign of weakness. She didn’t want anyone, especially Glimmer, to see her like this.

“Adora,” Glimmer’s voice softened, “You can trust me.”

Adora swallowed, and released a heavy breath through her nose. 

“Alright.” she said. “Come on in.” 

Glimmer slowly opened the door, slipping through the crack and shutting it behind her. The room was dark, with only the moon to illuminate the interior. It took a couple seconds for Glimmer’s eyes to adjust, but when they did, she saw Adora sitting on the bed, her arms wrapped around herself and her head turned away. The princess noticed that her friend was shirtless, and a soft blush crept onto her cheeks. 

“Adora, are you alr--” Glimmer took a couple steps forward, and gasped. Her embarrassment quickly faded when she saw the deep, raw claw marks along Adora’s back, still oozing with blood. 

“Oh my gosh,” Glimmer closed the distance between them, and sunk into the bed next to Adora. Adora still wouldn’t look at her. 

“Adora… why didn’t you ask for help?”

“I don’t need it. I’m fine, I just…” Adora sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just being stubborn.” 

Glimmer delicately rested her fingers along her friend’s back, and Adora shrunk away from her touch. 

“Don’t--don’t touch me.” 

Glimmer pulled her hand away quickly, her eyebrows furrowed. Guilt started to scratch at Adora. 

“You need help.” Glimmer stated, her voice thick with worry. “Let me help you.” 

“I don’t…” Adora started, before swallowing the rest of her words. “ … you’re right. I’m sorry.” She handed Glimmer the disinfectant. 

“Don’t be.” Glimmer soothed, “I understand. It’s going to be okay.” 

She wet a cloth with the disinfectant. “This is going to hurt, alright?”

Adora nodded, preparing herself. 

As gentle as she could, Glimmer began to dab the wound with the cloth. Adora flinched and hissed in pain, but did her best to stay still for Glimmer. As the princess wiped up the blood and cleaned the cuts, Adora muttered curses under her breath. Soon enough, the gashes were clean and already looking better. 

“Alright, the worst part is over.” reassured Glimmer. “I’m going to put ointment on it to prevent infection now, alright?” 

Adora gave her a weak smile while Glimmer squeezed some ointment onto her fingers, and tenderly started applying it to her back. Adora was rigid against her touch, but steadily started to relax against Glimmer’s hand. 

Glimmer’s fingers felt nice, and almost tickled, as she applied the appointment. Adora breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Thank-you.” She said quietly. 

Glimmer hummed in acknowledgement. “Now,” She capped the ointment and reached for the bandages. “Lift your arms so I can wrap you up.”

Adora did, raising her arms above her head, grimacing as her skin stretched and her wounds ached. Glimmer took a moment to watch her friend, admiring her smooth and scarred skin. After a second or two (or three), Adora finally turned her head to look at the princess.

“Glimmer? What are you waiting for?” 

“Oh,” Glimmer blushed, realizing that she had been staring. “Er, nothing!” 

She wrapped the gauze around Adora’s chest, layering the bandage over the cuts until blood no longer seeped through. Glimmer secured the gauze with a knot, making sure it wasn’t too tight, and patted Adora’s back gently.

“Alright, you’re all set.” Glimmer said. 

Adora turned around, fully facing her friend. The moonlight reflected in her blue eyes, and as beautiful as they were, Glimmer noted, they were also tinged with red. 

“Oh, hon… were you crying?”

“Ah, shit.” Adora broke eye contact, and wiped her eyes again for good measure. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.” Glimmer placed her hand over Adora’s. The blonde glanced at the princess, and then at their hands. But she didn’t pull away. 

“You know you can talk to me, right? Me, and Bow, and anyone.” Glimmer resumed. “You’re family now.” 

“I know,”

“Do you?”

“I’m scared.” Adora suddenly admitted, still looking at their hands. 

“You don’t need to be. Not anymore. Not with us.” Glimmer spoke softly, and squeezed her hand. 

Adora intertwined their fingers, and Glimmer noticed how calloused they were. 

“Can you stay with me, for tonight?” Adora asked. Glimmer’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“If-if you want to, I mean. You don’t have to. I’ll be ok--”

“Adora,” Glimmer interrupted her. “Of course I will.” 

Adora smiled at her, so genuinely and sweetly that Glimmer couldn’t stop herself from grinning back.

Adora laid down on her side, facing away from Glimmer but curling her right arm over her shoulder so she could keep holding her hand. Glimmer rested beside her, her left arm wrapped around Adora letting their fingers remained intertwined.

“Is this okay?” Glimmer asked cautiously. “I know touching is usually out of your comfort zone.”

“It’s okay.” Adora replied, “Not if it’s with a close friend.”

Her voice became hushed, and Glimmer could barely hear her next words. 

“Not if it’s you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, let me know if there's any mistakes or anything I could improve! I appreciate all feedback! But most of all, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

That night, Adora had a dream. 

At least, it started out as just a dream. 

The familiar spherical shape of the Horde’s robots surrounded her, their “eyes” glowing like deadly stars in a night sky. And She-Ra extinguished those stars one by one, with each swing of her massive sword. As she cut them into pieces, the machines exploded like sparkling supernovas. But every time one fell, another quickly took its place. They climbed over the hills and swampt the land like a sea of weaponry. But Adora had no problem with that, she was She-Ra, and her sword arm never grew tired. Energy flooded her veins while her sword tore through metal like those mismatched eyes split through the darkness between them. 

Wait, what?

That’s when the nightmare started. 

She-Ra froze in her place, suddenly knee deep in snow. The robots have disappeared, and only two glowing stars remained. One amber, one blue. 

The warmth in her muscles was replaced with a chilling pain that hit her like hail. And then, her body wasn’t hers anymore. 

Adora’s arm started to swing her weapon without her consent, carving through freezing air and ice. She was just confused, at first, as to why her body wasn’t listening to her. That confusion quickly turned to panic, however, as new figures appeared in the dark.

Bow and Glimmer, her friends, fallen in the snow. Gaping at her with their eyes filled to the brim with terror. The sight absolutely breaks Adora’s heart. 

Then she’s running towards them. The snow crunches under her feet and the wind pulls at her limbs, as if begging her to stop. She’s smiling, she realizes, but inside is a level of distress she’s never felt before. 

_NO!_

Within seconds she’s on top of them.

_STOP IT!_

Her sword is raised high in the air, glittering in black night _just like those eyes._

She shuts her eyes tight, and the sword sings with a _shiiiiiing!_ as it cleaves through the space between her and her friends--

And then the shadows swallowed them whole. 

____________________

Sunlight poured into the room in a wave of sunshine, drowning Glimmer’s face in a bright light. She groaned in protest against the morning sun, and turned away, burying her face into the extremely warm pillow beside her. Her pillow smelled of grass and rain, and also of something sweet… cinnamon, maybe? Her mom must have gotten a new detergent. Sighing contently, Glimmer wrapped her arms around the mound of blankets, barely noticing that it had a heartbeat. 

When small puffs of breath started tickling Glimmer’s cheek, she finally opened her eyes to see exactly what--or who--she’d been drooling on. 

Vivid blue eyes bore into rose-pink ones, and the events of the previous night returned to the princess’s memory. Their staring contest didn’t last long, for Glimmer sat up swiftly and broke eye contact. 

“OH! Adora! H-how long have you been awake for?” Glimmer stammered, suddenly finding interest in the sheets, the windows, the walls, anything that wasn’t Adora. 

Adora gave her a crooked smile. “Not long at all, until someone squeezed me like a boa constrictor.” 

Glimmer’s face burned, and she looked back at Adora sheepishly. 

“Sorry about that… I didn’t realize, ah, I’m sorry.” 

Adora shook her head. “Don’t apologize! I appreciate you staying with me last night.” 

“Of course! It’s been such a long time since we had a sleepover,” Glimmer gushed, “Not since Bow and I… Adora? Are you okay?” 

The blonde was staring past Glimmer’s shoulder, a gloomy look in her eyes. Glimmer knew she wasn’t looking at anything in particular, for her gaze was unfocused and cloudy. 

Glimmer waved her hand in front of Adora’s face. “Hello? Etheria to Adora? You still in there?”

Adora snapped back into focus. “Oh, hey. Yeah, sorry.” 

Glimmer’s smile faded, her eyebrows furrowing with worry. “Something on your mind? You seemed a bit distracted there.”

“Just a bad dream.” Adora massaged her eyes and blinked a couple times before looking back at her friend. “I’m fine, really.” 

Glimmer gave her a look, and Adora knew she wasn’t convinced. It was her turn to avoid eye contact. Glimmer lifted her hand to place on Adora’s, but before she could, the blonde climbed off the bed and headed towards her dresser. She noticed the look of hurt on Glimmer’s features, and struggled not to console her. 

_You shouldn’t go near her._ The thought forced its way into Adora’s head. Even though she was awake now, her nightmare still tormented her. The faces in her dream… Glimmer’s face. The fear in their eyes. It all felt so real to Adora.

She shivered just thinking about it, and hoped Glimmer didn’t notice.

But the princess did. 

“We should probably get ready for the day.” Adora said, “I bet the Queen’s wondering where we’ve been, since we both kind of disappeared from the party last night.” 

“Yeah,” Glimmer agreed quietly. “We should.” 

Adora didn’t look back at Glimmer until she was leaving the room, and she watched her walk through the door with remorse pooling in her stomach. 

____________________

“Weird? Weird how?” Bow questioned while he tinkered with his data pad.

“I don’t know how to explain it.” Glimmer started, “One moment she’s smiling and joking around and the next she’s just…really out of it. And when I get her attention again, she’s distant and standoffish. It’s almost like last night didn’t even happen!”

The pair of best friends were in Glimmer’s room; Bow sitting at the desk while Glimmer laid sprawled out on her bed, grumbling at the ceiling. 

“Maybe she just got shy!” Bow turned to Glimmer and wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Even She-Ra gets flustered sometimes, yknow.” 

“That’s not it!” Glimmer insisted. “Something’s wrong with her, I can tell. But I think she’s shutting me out again…” 

Bow sighed and swiveled around in his seat. “Listen Glimmer, people are like… onions.”

“Oh my gosh Bow I swear to the First Ones, don’t give me the onion talk.” 

“And onions,” He formed his fingers into a circle, then slowly pulled them apart. “Have layers!” 

Glimmer covered her face with her pillow, groaning. Bow paid no mind. 

“And sometimes it takes time to peel away those layers from a person, to get to their center.” 

“I get it, Bow,” Glimmer carped, “In order to get Adora to open up to me I have to peel her like an onion. Gotcha.”

“You know what I mean.” 

She sighed. “Yeah… I do. I just thought I was getting somewhere last night.” 

“Did I mention onions have _multiple_ layers?” 

Glimmer threw her pillow at Bow. 

“I got it!” Bow exclaimed, catching the pillow. “Why don’t you ask her on a date?” 

Glimmer’s breath caught in her throat, and she started fidgeting with the hem of her cape. “A date? With Adora?”

“Uh huh,” Bow grinned up at her. “That’s the perfect way to help someone open up to you.” 

“I don’t know…” Glimmer peeked over the edge of her bed at Bow, biting her lips. “She seemed to be in just the right mood to turn me down this morning.”

“Glimmer, despite what happened this morning, I know for a fact that Adora cares about you, and likes being around you. And I bet asking her on this date is a great way to show her that you care about her, too.” 

“Isn’t there another way to show her that I care about her?”

“Well, yeah,” Bow said, “But this is the best way to show her that you…_care._

He winked. 

Glimmer’s cheeks became as rosy as her hair, and she let out a shuddering breath. 

“Alright Bow, you win. I’ll ask her.” 

____________________

It was a good thing Glimmer didn’t specify **when** she’d ask Adora on that date, because doing so turned out to be a lot easier said than done. Whenever Glimmer would approach the girl and try to ask, she’d turn into stuttering mess, blushing and faltering and would end up teleporting away before she could get a coherent sentence out. This left Adora bewildered at first, and then concerned around the third or fourth time it happened. 

Thus, Adora began seeking Glimmer out herself, but was unable to corner her for obvious reasons. Whenever she was caught in Glimmer’s view, the princess would disappear with a glow and a burst of sparkles. 

This game of hide and seek went on for a few days, before Bow caught up with Glimmer. 

He found her in the kitchen; She was leaning on the counter, out of breath from several teleportations. When she heard his footsteps, she grew wide-eyed and prepared to use her magic again, before realizing it was him.

“Oh thank goodness,” Glimmer breathed. “It’s just you. Adora has been getting real good at predicting where I teleport to next. I can barely avoid her anymore.” 

“Avoid her?!” Bow yelled, “You’re supposed to be spending more time with her!”

“I know! But! I keep dramatically failing to ask her out and then she started coming to me! I don’t know what to say so I’m avoiding her till I figure it out.”

Bow stared at her for a moment. “Have you tried saying... “Will you go on a date with me?”

Glimmer gave him an exasperated look. “I… I can’t. I’m too scared.”

“Scared of what?” 

Glimmer and Bow swung their heads around to find Adora, who had just walked in. She was also out of breath. 

“How’d you know I’d be here?!” Glimmer was shocked.

“I didn’t,” Adora exhaled, “I came to get a glass of water.” 

“Perfect timing! Glimmer has something she wants to ask you!” declared Bow. 

Glimmer, who had exhausted her magic too much to teleport again, had no choice but to stand there and glare at Bow. He gave her a thumbs up. 

“Please tell me Glimmer,” Adora pleaded, “Whatever it is, you don’t have to be afraid of me.”

With those words, Adora’s nightmare suddenly flashed in her mind. She went pale. 

Glimmer swallowed nervously. “I was just wondering if…”

Adora pushed the memories of her dream out of her mind and turned her attention back to Glimmer. Glimmer continued.

“If you wanted to go on a date with me?” 

Adora stared at her. “A what?”

“A date. Y’know. A...date.” 

Adora glanced at Bow. He was looking at her with disbelief.

“You don’t know what a date is?” He asked incredulously. 

“I…no?” 

“It’s when, uh, two people hang out together.” Glimmer tried to explain. 

“Oh, then don’t we go on dates all the time?” Adora quizzed. 

Glimmer reddened, and Bow giggled. 

“Not exactly,” She said. 

Adora tilted her head.

Before Glimmer could explain further, one of Bright Moon’s guards entered the room, interrupting the trio. 

“You three. Queen Angella wishes to see you all in the meeting room right away.” 

The three looked between each other, uncertainty clouding their faces. 

Glimmer spoke up. “Did something happen?”

“It’s the Horde.” said the guard. “The Queen will brief you. Come with me.” 

____________________

“The frozen wastes?” asked Adora.

“Indeed.” said Angella. “Our scouts have tracked the Horde to the Northern Reach, where they have set up camp and seem to be excavating something.”

“I bet it’s First One’s tech.” added Bow. “The Horde have been all over that stuff since they learned they could use it to improve their machines and weaponry.”

“Precisely.” said the Queen. “And that’s why I want you three to go out there, with caution, and stop them from gaining that tech.”

Glimmer nodded. “Sounds simple enough, we’ll--”

“IF,” the Queen interjected, “If they don’t provide too much resistance. I don’t want any of you losing your life over this. I don’t want any heroics. Especially _you_, Glimmer.” 

“...Yes, mom.” 

Angella turned to Adora. “Keep them safe, alright? And keep yourself safe, too.”

“I will, your Majesty.” Adora was confident in her words, but doubt prickled at her insides. The Northern Reach… it must be a land of ice and snow, just like her dream. And if the Horde is there… 

_Then Catra probably is, too._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for your wait, everybody! School started and life has gotten kind of busy, but I'll still be updating! I also just wanted to thank everybody for leaving such kind comments! It literally makes me so, so happy to read what you guys think and feel about my writing. It's what inspires me to write more! With that, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

The crisp wind bit through Adora’s skin and chilled her bones. While the ship cut its way through the waves, sea foam splashed up over the railings and pricked her face. Though her She-Ra form gave her some resistance to the bitter cold, she was still shivering with her friends. 

Bow was standing on the bridge, using his tracker pad as a guide to steer the ship. Normally Sea Hawk himself would be controlling the ship, but him and Glimmer seem to be having an intense discussion on the side of the deck. Adora herself was near the front of the ship, staring out across the figurehead of the ship into the white horizon. 

Adora glanced at Glimmer. To her surprise, Glimmer was already looking at her, and their eyes locked before Glimmer quickly broke eye contact. The princess returned her attention to Sea Hawk, not acknowledging Adora whatsoever. 

Adora wasn’t one to feel self conscious, but she couldn’t help but feel that her friend and the ship’s captain were talking about her. 

_Is there something on my face?_ She wiped her face down with her palm for good measure. Suddenly she heard Glimmer giggle, and stole another look at the princess. Adora couldn’t hear what they were talking about over the crashing of the waves and the howling wind, but jealousy pooled in her stomach anyway. She wished she was making Glimmer laugh instead. 

_It doesn’t matter. Focus on the mission._

Adora tore her gaze away from Glimmer, and continued surveillancing the frozen wastes before her. 

**_______________________**

“It hurt a lot, y’know? When she cancelled our plans. I mean, I understand that sometimes things happen and plans change--” 

“Mhmm.” Glimmer murmured. 

“But then Mermista goes ahead and makes new plans with her other friends! And doesn’t invite me...” Sea Hawk drawled. 

“Yeah,” Glimmer said, distracted. “That sucks.” 

“And then…! Wait, what are you looking at?”

Sea Hawk followed Glimmer’s line of sight, towards Adora. The girl was facing away from them, in her She-Ra form, her long blonde hair flowing behind her like rays of sunshine. Glimmer was captivated by the view, unable to look away. She sighed, still looking at Adora, and Sea Hawk looked back at Glimmer with a smirk. 

“I see, you’re charmed by her, aren’t you?”

“What?” Glimmer asked, not hearing him over the wind. 

“I said, **you’re charmed by her, aren’t you!**”

“_SHHHHHH!_ Do you want all of Etheria to hear you?” Glimmer spoke in a hushed voice. 

Sea Hawk inched closer to her, so she could hear him better. “Sorry. But I’ve seen the way you look at her. She is amazing, is she not? She-Ra is a sight to behold.”

“She-Ra is cool, but…” Glimmer was still looking at the blonde. “I prefer Adora as Adora.” 

As if on cue, Adora turned and look at Glimmer. Ashamed that she was caught staring, Glimmer snapped her head towards Sea Hawk. She suddenly felt a lot warmer in the freezing weather. 

Sea Hawk glanced between the two, before a look of realization crossed his face. 

“Oh! You’re attracted to her!” Sea Hawk exclaimed. 

Glimmer nearly shoved him.

“Aha, you’ve come to the right man!” He continued. 

“I didn’t come to you at all, you just happened to be standing next to me.” 

Sea Hawk pretended not to hear. “Why, I too, have been in love...I have fought valiantly to win the heart of my love, and sailed the stormy seas of heartbreak!”

Glimmer groaned. 

“I too, have yearned…”

“Please don’t word it like that.”

“...and I can teach you! How to woo the person of your affection!”

“No offense, Sea Hawk, but didn’t you just tell me about how Mermista was ignoring you?”

“So you were listening! Oh, how your friendship warms my heart--”

“We’re here!” Bow called out from the bridge. 

The ship creaked as it approached the terra of ice and snow. They released the anchor, the heavy metal splitting through the icy water below and halting the ship with a jerk. Glimmer lost her balance and toppled over into Sea Hawk. 

“Come on,” Adora beckoned her friends. “Let’s not waste any time.” 

**_______________________**

Catra leaped from crate to crate, searching through each box’s contents. The metal lids felt like ice against her finger tips. Most of them contained useless tech that Entrapta had brought for who knows what reason. Even if it wasn’t technically useless, Catra didn’t know how to use it, so it was worthless to her. She growled with annoyance. 

Catra had told her comrades that she was reporting to Hordak to give him an update on their excavation, but really, she was just searching for a blanket. Or something to wrap around her shoulders. The Horde didn’t provide them with much garb that protected against the cold, so they were left to fend for themselves. Catra was _freezing_, and it just made her all the more pissed off. 

Her endeavor to find something warm left her with nothing. She sighed with frustration, and ran her fingers through her thick mane. Catra crouched on the floor, leaning one arm against a crate and used the other to massage her tired eyes. While she took the moment to rest, her mind started to wander. And like most times, if not every time, her thoughts started to revolve around the enemy. _Her_ enemy. 

_Adora._

Catra grimaced. The name alone made Catra’s blood boil. She wished she could say it was just anger, and hostility towards the girl, but something else inside of her ached. Something in her heart. And Catra despised that aching feeling more than Adora herself. It was weakness. It made her hesitate. And to truly conquer Etheria, to win against the princesses, to prove herself to the Horde, she needed **no** hesitation whatsoever. 

So lost in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the footsteps approaching from behind her. 

“Uh, hey, Catra!” 

The voice made Catra jump, and she whipped around just to find Scorpia. 

“Oh, it’s you.” 

“Yep, it’s me! Uh, fancy seeing you here.”

Catra raised an eyebrow, and Scorpia clicked her pincers together nervously.

“Anyway, Entrapta brought all this junk from her lab.” Catra’s voice was thick with vexation. “Help me find a space heater or something since apparently we live here now.”

“Well, actually, I’ve been thinking…” Scorpia hesitated. 

Catra noticed that she did that a lot. _Hesitate_. Adora did the same thing, whenever they fought. She rarely got the upper hand during battle, but when she did, when she finally got an advantage against Catra, she would hesitate. And lose her chance to win. To have such a weakness, Adora would never achieve victory against her. Such a weakness...Catra must kill it in herself. 

“...Like play a boardgame, or do some other type of uh, bonding activity. Uh Catra, you listening?”

“What?” Catra stared blankly at Scorpia. 

“You were lost in thought, weren’t you? I recognize that face. Thinking about our next move, huh? Very smart. I uh, admired that about you.” Scorpia rambled. 

“Or she was thinking about Adora!” Entrapta chimed in, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. 

Catra gave her a glare that could melt through metal. “I was _not_ thinking about Adora. Scorpia was right, actually, I was thinking about what to do once we get out of this frozen wasteland!” 

Catra slammed her fist against one of the crates, knocking it over. It clattered against the floor, echoing throughout the room like a gunshot. A small, bright red piece of tech fell out of the container, spinning on its axis before slowing down to a halt. 

Eyebrows furrowing, Catra reached out to pick it up, observing it. The piece of tech was triangular in shape, with three projections spiking out from it’s center. It gleamed in the fluorescent lights of the otherwise dim room, and felt warm to the touch. 

Her cat-like reflexes stopped Entrapta in her tracks before the princess could knock her over. 

“Careful with that! It’s a rare First One’s artifact.” Entrapta explained, reaching for the red device. “I haven’t had a chance to study it fully yet. The last time I deployed it, it ended up infecting all of my robots with some kind of murder virus!”

Catra pushed Entrapta off of her. “You brought along a _murder virus_ and not a blanket?” 

“Oh, it does other things too. For example, when it infected She-Ra, she lost her powers…”

Catra zoned out, ignoring the rest of Entrapta’s words. She held up the artifact, seeing her mismatched eyes reflected against the glassy tech. Her pupils dilated, and her lips curled into a devilish smile. 

“A She-Ra off switch, huh? Why didn’t you say something sooner?” 

**_______________________**

Trudging through the snow, Bow used his tracker pad as a shield from the blistering hail. The others didn’t have such privilege, and were squinting against the snow battering their face. 

“We should almost be there!” Bow yelled over the brisk wind. His data pad was showing their location as three small yellow dots, with the location of the First One’s tech as a huge glowing disk. It was almost alarming, the amount of energy that was coming off whatever was buried in the ice. 

“Wait, I see something!” Adora said, and the team halted. 

The falling snow formed a blanket of ice that obstructed their view, but they were able to make out a bridge overlapping a huge crater in the ice. 

The weariness in Adora’s legs disappeared once they discovered the digging site, and was replaced with a fiery energy as she started to hurtle through the snow, Glimmer, Bow, and Sea Hawk right behind her. 

As they approached the bridge, three figures started to come into view. Adora recognized Catra immediately, her spiky mane of hair and big furry ears distinguishable anywhere. Her heart rate began to increase, and adrenaline coursed through her veins as her focus zeroed in on the feline-esque girl. Her stomach dropped, however, when she saw a familiar face beside Catra. 

It was Entrapta. And next to the two of them, Adora saw Scorpia. 

_Three against three…_ She thought to herself, before remember that Sea Hawk was also with them. _Okay, three and a half against three._

The wind picked up Catra’s voice and carried it over to the members of the Rebellion. 

“...If your bots can’t dig it out, then maybe I’ll send you down there to--”

“CATRA!”

That voice echoed against Catra’s eardrums, and made her fur stand up on end. She turned away from Entrapta to get caught in those crystal blue eyes. Catra felt a growl rising up in her throat, but she swallowed it, determined not to let Adora see how she affected her. 

“Hey, Adora. Come this far to see little ol’ me, huh? I’m so flattered.”

Glimmer cringed at the purr in Catra’s voice, and her fingertips started to sparkle with anger. She noticed Adora tighten her grip on her sword, the girl’s knuckles turning a pale white with exertion. Glimmer stood beside her, and grasped Adora’s free hand to give it a squeeze. Adora didn’t pull away, and noticeably relaxed her shoulders. 

Catra noticed it, too. Her condescending smirk twisted into a disgusted scowl. 

“Holding hands with princesses now, are we?” Catra sneered. “I didn’t realize you got a new _girlfriend._” 

Glimmer’s jaw nearly dropped at Catra’s words. She expected Adora to deny Catra’s accusation, but she simply gripped Glimmer’s hand tighter. 

_So they were something…_

Scorpia looked visibly uncomfortable. Entrapta covered her mouth with one hand, and Bow’s mouth had formed an O. Sea Hawk was smiling triumphantly, and gave Glimmer a thumbs up. 

Adora shattered the awkward silence. “You know why we’re here.” 

“Oh yeah? To wave your silly sword around and destroy the work of those who raised you?” Catra retorted. _And those who were with you through everything?_

“You’re damn right.”

“Then go ahead and _try!_” Catra yowled, her voice cracking with fury. 

Without breaking eye contact with Catra, Adora let go of Glimmer’s hand and dashed across the bridge. She raised her sword and brought it down with all her might, but Catra swiftly dodged the blow. The sword hit the bridge with a **CLANG!**, leaving a gash in the metal. Catra scurried towards the end of the bridge and onto the snowfield on the other side, Adora hot on her heels. 

Catra hopped across the snow, leaving light paw prints on her path. Adora landed heavily, crunching the ice beneath her, but was no slower than Catra. She caught up quickly, and the two circled each other, claws and sword raised. 

“Traitor!” Catra hissed, her voice dripping with poison. 

“From the place like the Horde, why wouldn’t I be?!” Adora closed the distance between them, slashing at Catra, missing her ex-girlfriend by inches. Catra leaped and flipped out of the way, dancing around Adora, her tail whipping with vigor. When she saw an opening, Catra clawed at Adora’s face, but missed. Adora lurched to the side, and grabbed Catra’s wrist, flinging her against the ground. 

Catra landed hard with an _Oof!_, and Adora drove the sword into the ice, right next to Catra’s head. 

“You missed.” Catra stated simply. 

“Surrender!” Adora commanded, “Or I might not next time.”

Catra roared with laughter. “Yeah, right! You never had the guts. In the Horde, you could have been a great force captain, but ever since you left, you’ve become soft.” 

Catra spit the last word, as if just the word itself tasted disgusting on her tongue. 

“Hanging with the princesses has made you _weak_. And now, you’re not even worthy to be part of the Horde.”

“I’d never willingly be part of the Horde again!”

“You’re right,” Catra said, voice hardening. “Because this ends, now!”

She pulled the red First One’s tech out of the pocket, and slammed it against the hilt of Adora’s sword. Red tendrils started to grow from where the two artifacts connected, snaking around the weapon. 

But it didn’t end there. The strands of scarlet spread to Adora’s hand, then wrapped around her arm, inducing a searing pain that made the blonde cry out. Catra watched in awe.

Soon the feeling of scorching fire advanced throughout her body, her veins igniting. Adora frantically raked at the tendrils, trying to tear them off her body, to no avail. 

And then the pain stopped, and everything went cold. Adora stopped struggling. 

“I don’t understand,” Catra started, “why are you still--ACK!!”

With a single blow, Adora propelled Catra into a block of ice, which cracked upon impact.

Catra fell into the snow, the last thing she saw before fainting being Adora’s eyes, glowing red like embers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, Sea Hawk IS cool.


End file.
